A Nation Unified through Equality

It was 1991. Delwin Vriend had just been fired from King’s College for being openly homosexual. His complaint was rejected by the Human Rights Commission of Alberta, for sexual orientation, at the time, was not a prohibited ground for discrimination in the province. However, due to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Delwin Vriend was able to file an appeal to the Supreme Court, which then ruled in his favour. This Charter, regarded as an important national symbol by 70% of Canadians, is significant to me because of the freedoms and rights that it guarantees, ensuring that I cannot be subject to discrimination because of my Chinese-Canadian identity, sex, or age. The creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 has most influenced my identity due to its sections on the rights of minorities, the rights of criminal defendants, and the rights of Aboriginal people.